A Hero's Job is Never Done
by XyKPfan
Summary: The Shadow Pokemon fiasco is over and Wes and Rui are dating. But Wes' shadowy past is making cameo appearances, and some foes have come back for revenge. Now Wes may be up against his biggest challenge yet as he proves that a hero's job is never done.
1. A Dark Secret, His Dark Past

**A/N:** Hey Everyone! Here's that long awaited Colosseumshipping fanfic you've been waiting for. Lot of drama in this first chapter, mostly towards the middle. Unlike my previous fics, this one will be a Book Story. This means that it will be a series fic. There will be a continuation and a Prequel to this. I also must apologize for the summary. I'm only limited to so many words. You can get the full summary on my profile page. Anyway, I know you're anxious to read this so I'll just shut up and let you read.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you _A Hero's Job is Never Done_ _Book 1_.

I do not own Pokémon. I don't know who owns it but bottom line is I don't own Pokémon. So put away the lawsuits and cases. There's no need to sue me. I did nothing wrong.

* * *

Sweat began to trickle down Wes' face as he ran down Pyrite Town's dirt path. He could feel the presence of his ever-faithful pokémon Umbreon and Espeon right behind him. The summer heat was unbearable for him. In his haste to escape, he had carelessly thrown away what little bit of clothing gave away his location. Thus, he was only clad in his ochre colored boxers and sterling silver customized spy glasses.

Wes continued to run. So caught up in his run, he didn't hear her the first time. It wasn't until he heard her say his name again that he heard what she was saying.

"Wes!"

Rui! Rui was calling out to him.

Wes had almost forgotten that he left her behind. He had to. He had to get away. He couldn't stay and help her.

_Rui. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._

"Umbre! Umbreon!"

Wes' eyes snapped opened as he leaped to the left, almost making contact with a tree. He wobbled a bit but caught himself before he fell.

"Thanks, Umbreon!"

"Bre!"

Wes heard the cry again.

"Wes!"

Wes found himself grinding his teeth in frustration, knowing there was nothing he could really do for her now.

_I'm coming Rui. Just hold on. I'm almost there! I'm almost finished! Just hold on!_

This time he heard a different voice. A more forceful, more masculine one.

"Wes!"

Wes furrowed his brow as he thought about the owner.

_Dunking._

He too was left behind in his haste to escape. A wave of guilt washed over Wes, but he had to finish. He had to! For them! He'd come back, but not until he finished.

_Hold on. I'm coming. I promise. I'm almost there. Just hold on!_

"Wes! What're doing, boy? Come back!"

Wes grimaced. He couldn't go back now. He was so close.

"Wes!" Rui called out again.

"Wes! Baby, please!"

Wes ignored their calls. He was going to finished if it killed him.

Wes' eyes widened when he saw the end of the path. A wall of stone and mud about fifteen high stood there. It was a dead end. There was nowhere else to go.

With a huff, Wes began sprinting towards the heap of rocks and mud, his pokémon right behind him. As soon as he got within distance, he lunged at the wall. Umbreon and Espeon, surprised by their human's actions, opened their mouth in shock, but soon shook it off as they faithfully lunged after him. Together, they all grasped the edges of the bluff and began to mount it.

The whole mount up the wall those dreadful voices never ceased their assault on Wes.

"Wes! Boy, what're doing?"

"Wes! Please stop!"

Wes ignored them and continued his mount. When he reached the top, he saw that it was another dead end. He looked off the edge of the cliff and saw nothing but a sea of water. With a huff, Wes took a few steps back, preparing himself to dive into the deep sea.

"Wes! Come down from there! You're gonna hurt yourself!"

Wes turned his head to see his red-headed girlfriend stare at him scornfully, arms folded, and foot tapping. Beside her, he saw the owner of Pyrite's Colosseum and his bodybuilding friend Dunking with the same expression on his face.

"Boy? What are you doing?"

"Wes get down from there!"

Shaking his head casually, Wes turned his attention back to the cliff.

"Wes, you better not!"

Ignoring his partner's warning, Wes sprinted towards the edge of the cliff, his Umbreon and Espeon right behind him.

"Wes!"

Wes continued to run until he got to the cliff's edge, where he dove right off and fell to the cold sea below him, his Umbreon and Espeon beside him, following him through all his actions.

"Wes!" Rui gave a piercing scream.

Wes folded is arms at his side and kept his legs together as he squinted his eyes in determination, getting closer to the icy cold sea below.

A few moments later, Wes opened his arms and legs, and twisted his body upward, heading feet first into the water.

"Wes, no!"

Before Wes could hit the water, a Flygon dove down under him, catching him and his pokémon before they hit the ocean's surface.

Rui gave a sigh of relief as she saw her boyfriend fly back towards Dunking's home/office.

"Good job Flygon. You got even closer to the water this time."

"Fly. Flygon."

"Alright guys. I guess we can head back to Rui and Dunking. Our training's done for today."

Flygon dove down next to her trainer's partner and let him off.

No sooner had his feet touched the ground that Rui enveloped him in a Snorlax-sized hug.

"Oh Wes I was so worried!"

"Well it's not the first time I…" Wes was cut off as he felt the burning feeling of a slap across his face.

"Ow…Rui, wha…"

"That was for pulling a stunt like that! You could have given me a heart attack!"

"It wasn't a stunt. I was training."

"Humph," Rui folded her arms in frustration.

"Aww, relax Rui. You can't blame the boy for wanting to get away for a little. But you could have given us a warning before you sprinted off like that, Wes," Dunking said as he walked up beside Rui.

"Yeah, but I just had to get away, Dunking. I couldn't take it anymore. Those ONBS press guys were smothering me. I just had to get away from them. I mean I can only take so much."

"Yeah I hear you. But what do you expect? I mean, you did save Orre from an evil syndicate who tried to take over the world by controlling pokemon. You're a hero, son!"

Wes just sighed in agreement as he began stretching.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," He said with a yawn.

"Looks like someone's a little tired," Rui said with a smile.

"You would be too if you ran 25 miles, climbed up a steep cliff, and dove down to an icy cold, uninhabited ocean."

"Yeah but I'm not in shape," Rui said as she slid herself into her boyfriend's arms.

"Maybe the press should come more often. I like seeing my man all sweaty and glistening. And I really love how you look clad only in your boxers. You have the firmest, well-toned butt I've ever seen," She said with a sly smile, grabbing that part of his anatomy for emphasis.

"What ever happened to the 'look but no touch' rule? And just how many butts have you seen?"

"To answer your first question, that's in terms of seeing one of the opposite sex. You can look at a girl, but no touchie. Same goes for me. I can look at another guy, but no touchie. That rule doesn't apply to us directly. I can look and touch you as often as I feel. As for the second, it can be altered if you choose to follow my answer to your first one," She said giving her boyfriend a warm kiss on the lips.

"Okay, okay! That's enough, you two. I really do not need to see PDA right now. I just ate," Dunking said with folded arms.

"What's wrong, Dunking? Getting a little embarrassed by how close we are?" Wes asked with a smirk, slipping his hand around Rui's waist.

"No! I'm just thinking about the pokémon."

"Well, the pokémon are used to it by now. I mean, they've seen us kiss. They've seen us cuddle. They've even seen when we…"

"Boy, I don't want to know! Sheesh! What is wrong with you youngins today?"

"Aww don't worry about it, Dunking. It's getting late anyway. Think we'll just check into a hotel tonight."

"Hotel? You two not going home?"

"Well, we don't really have a home to go to, Dunking. I mean, I've been traveling all my life and Rui's home was destroyed when she was kidnapped."

"Then where have you two been sleeping all this time?"

"In a hotel."

"Wait a minute, you mean to tell me all this time you two been checking into a hotel all these years?"

"Yep," They answered simultaneously.

Dunking began to turn pale as he thought of how the young couple spent most of their nights.

"Oh God, Oh…Oh…I gotta go!" And with that, Dunking sprinted inside his house and slammed the door behind him.

"Wonder what got into him?" Wes asked with a confused expression on his face.

"Aww, don't worry about it, Baby. Let's just go. You really need to take a shower."

"And you really need to put some more make-up on your face. You look a hot mess."

"What?"

"Gotta run. Flygon! Let's go!"

The dragon pokémon dove down to her trainer. Wes hopped onto her back with Umbreon in tow.

"See you at the hotel, Babe. Love you!"

And before she could respond, Wes was up in the air, soaring towards the nearest hotel in Pyrite.

Rui let out a huff as crossed her arms.

"Oh, that Wes. Espeon, can you teleport us to the hotel?"

Espeon gave her friend a confused look.

"What? I know it's within walking distance, but I want you teleport me there."

Espeon just got up and started walking towards the hotel, shaking her head in the process. _This girl is something else._

Rui stood there, dumbstruck, with Plusle behind her. She almost forgot she brought the little mouse with her when she went to find Wes.

With a sigh, Rui began walking towards the hotel.

"Let's go, Plusle."

Plusle just furrowed her brow in confusion before following her other trainer.

* * *

Rui lightly closed the door as she entered Wes' room. Quietly, she tiptoed over to her boyfriend's bed. As she was walking, she saw Umbreon and Espeon sleeping beside each other, curled up on the soft carpet by the bed. She smiled at how cute they looked sleeping together, then continued her walk to the bed.

Rui's smile widened as she looked at her boyfriend. He looked so peaceful. His face was so calm and relaxed, so different than in the day when he gets a call from Chief Sherles.

She carefully rubbed her fingers against his bare chest, pausing every time she ran over the linings in his abs.

He looked so beautiful. So peaceful.

Rui wished he could look like this all the time. In the day, she'd never once she his face so calm and relaxed. It was always scrunched up in determination and frustration. He was always getting assigned to go on missions from Dunking and Chief Sherles. If he wasn't on a mission, he was at a meeting. If he wasn't at a meeting, he was with the press. If he wasn't with the press, he was on a mission. Every day was the same. Rarely has he ever had any time for himself. Anytime he did, he was either training or running. It was just as simple as that. If he wasn't working, he was training. Not once has he ever stopped to just take a breather.

Rui often worried that maybe all this work was too much for him. Too overwhelming. Most times, Dunking would call him early in the morning to talk to him about some things. She had no idea what it was since he wouldn't let her come, saying that she needed her rest. Truth was he was the one who needed it. Often times he'd come back with little black circles under his eyes and a little disheveled. He'd claim he was okay but Rui knew that wasn't entirely true. Getting two or three hours of sleep a day was not healthy. What was worse was that Wes didn't look like it was taking any kind of toll on him. He'd keep pushing and persevering until he was done, which in most causes isn't bad, unless it's affecting you in a negative way. Wes didn't let it show even if it was affecting him. He didn't even let his pokémon fight or work when they were tired. He'd just go by himself and try to complete a mission without them.

Rui sighed. He really was stressed. He really needed his rest. And she'd make sure he got it. Starting tomorrow they were officially on vacation. No missions, no meetings, no press conferences. Just the two of them and their pokémon. This wasn't just something they wanted. It was something they needed!

Wes was hesitant about it at first, but soon gave in after Rui did some…convincing. He did need a break, no matter how much he denied it, and he was going to get one.

Lifting her hand, Rui began caressing his face, tracing his features. He began to stir a little and twitched his nose. Rui pulled her hand back slightly, fearing that maybe she had woken him. She didn't want to do that since she knew he really needed to sleep.

When he didn't move, Rui gave a sigh of relief and began staring at him once more.

She couldn't help it. She loved looking at him this way. He truly was a sleeping beauty.

Rui slowly began to turn back when she slipped on the hard floor and fell down. She shrieked as she fell hard on the ground and winced as she hit her arm against the bedside.

Instantly, she covered her mouth as she looked back up to the bed. She stood up and looked at Wes to see if he had woken up.

He didn't. Though his face was scrunched up, almost as if he saw something disturbing.

Rui saw his eyelids begin to flutter. He was always a light sleeper since he was always being called by Dunking about something he had to take care of.

Rui hastily started walking back towards the door to get back to her room, hoping that she could get out before he woke up.

She wasn't so lucky.

Before she reached the door she heard him call out to her. She turned around to see him rubbing his tired eyes. He sat up slowly and squinted his sleepy golden eyes at her, trying desperately to see her in the darkness.

Rui cursed herself for coming into the room wearing socks. The floor was just waxed before they went to bed. Thanks to her, Wes wasn't gonna get the full hours of sleep he deserved.

Slowly, she walked back over to the bed, sitting next her boyfriend.

"Hey, Baby."

"Rui, what…_yawn_…what are you doing in here?"

"I…uh…" She began to say. Wes looked at her with confusion in his tired eyes.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no. I was just…lonely." She said quite innocently.

A small smile formed on Wes' face.

"You wanna sleep here tonight?"

"Really? You sure?"

Wes just gave her a nod. He gently pulled back the covers to let her in.

She shivered slightly as she crawled in.

"You cold?"

"A little."

"You want me to close the windows?"

"Won't it get stuffy in here?"

"We could leave the door open?"

"What and leave you open to start signing autographs and take pictures for a bunch of wild fangirls? I don't think so."

Wes smiled at his girlfriend's remark. He got out of the bed and began stretching. Rui's eyes widened as she noted that he was only wearing his boxers underneath the covers. She watched him closely as he walked over to the windowsill. He really did have a nice, firm, well-toned butt. She was surprised by how much she enjoyed looking at it.

Wes caught her gaze and smiled at how she was marveling at him.

"See something you like?" He said as he shut the window to stop the draft from coming in.

Rui blushed slightly when she realized she had been caught.

"Oh, yeah. I like a lot. Now I really want that door shut." She said with a sly grin.

"Interesting…" He said as he walked back over to the bed.

"Baby, how to you get it to look like that?"

"What?"

"Your butt. It's so sexy! I mean, I just can't take my eyes off of it!"

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Double-standard, Babe. Had I said that, you probably would have slapped me hard across my face and put me out of the hotel, even if I do have a right by the First Amendment to stay in."

"That's not true."

"Is it?"

Rui pondered on it for a while.

"Okay, maybe it is."

"See?"

"But I'd still love you."

"I don't know. You women are so confusing. You'd have me running around the place desperately trying to win you back and at a bar in two minutes, having me thinking you've ripped out my heart and that it's all over, when in fact, it was just a little bump in the road."

"Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"Neither. It's just a simple statement of facts."

"Okay…anyway, answer the question."

"What question?"

"How do you get your butt to look like that!"

"God, you are so blunt."

"Wes!"

"Training, Babe."

"Training? You mean with your pokémon?"

"No. I mean with me. I train myself. I go for runs, I lift weights, I do push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, tummy crunches, all of it."

"Tummy crutches? I hate those!"

"I love them. They strengthen my abdominal muscles and hip flexors."

"When do you do this?"

"In the morning. I get up bright and early and start running. Then I lift weights and bench presses…"

"Bench Presses?"

"Yeah, it's actually very nice. Keeps me focus and helps to relieve stress."

"Baby, I don't want you overexerting yourself."

"I'm not. I enjoy running and training."

"That may be so but I don't want you to turn into a big time bodybuilder like Dunking. It's so unsettling. I'd swear I'd throw up if you were even close to…" Rui turned pale as she pictured Wes' head on Dunking's muscular body.

"Aww, Eww! Eww!"

Wes laughed heartily at Rui.

"Don't worry, Babe. That's not gonna happen."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Rui smiled as she gave Wes a warm kiss on the lips. Her smile instantly changed into a frown as she thought about what she wanted to ask him when she saw him sleeping earlier. Wes noticed this, and his cheery expression changed into one of concern.

"What's wrong?"

Rui looked around the room before meeting his golden eyes.

"Baby, when you were sleeping earlier, your face scrunched up."

Wes' eyes fell to the floor as he realized where she was going with this.

"Why did you look so disturbed? Was it because I came in here and woke you?"

"No…"

Rui looked at him as concern spread across her features.

"Wes? What's wrong? Is something the matter?"

"It's nothing."

"Now you know that's not true. Something's bothering you and I need you to tell me what it is."

Wes closed his eyes as he continued to keep his head low.

"Wes look at me."

He didn't move.

"Look at me."

Wes slowly looked up to meet her blue sapphire eyes.

"What's wrong?"

Wes hesitated before he answered.

"I had a bad dream."

Rui's concerned expression turned into one of contempt.

"Is that it? My God, Wes, you had me thinking this was something serious."

Wes furrowed his brow at her remark.

"C'mon Wes, you're 20 years old. Aren't you a little old to be crying over a petty little dream?"

Wes' frown got deeper and his brow wrinkled even more.

"It wasn't some petty little dream."

Rui made a rude sound as she flicked her hand at her boyfriend.

"Please. What, did someone die or something?"

"No."

"Was someone sick?"

"…No…"

"Then it was a petty little dream."

"Rui…"

"Whatever it was, Wes, it's not real."

"Rui…"

"When you wake up, the nightmare ends."

Espeon's eyes flickered open as she heard Rui's voice. Her eyes widened when she saw that she and Wes were fighting. She gently nudged Umbreon to wake him up.

"Be Espe…" _Umbreon, wake up._

"Beeeee…" _Mmmmm…_

"Be Espeon-on." _Umbreon look._

"Be?" _Huh?_

The two of them looked up to see their humans fighting.

"Be. Be Umbreon?" _Why are they fighting?_

"Be Espe. Espeon. Be Espe." _I don't know, but they're scaring me. Look at Master's face._

"Be. Be Umbreon Umbre. Umberon-on." _You're right. He looks frustrated. _

"Espe-on Espe. _I don't like this._

"Umbreon Umbre." _Me either._

The two pokemon keep looking on at the display with worried faces. It was never a good thing when their trainer was upset.

"Get over it, Baby! You need to…"

"Rui!" He screamed as he stood up.

Rui paused and looked up at Wes. For the first time she noticed that he was upset. And that he had been crying.

"What?"

"It wasn't some small petty little dream!"

"If no one died or was severely injured that was important to you, then how is it serious?"

"It's more serious than you'll ever know!"

"It's…not…real!"

"Yes, it is!"

"No, it's not!"

"Yes, it is!"

"You're awake, Wes! Whatever it was that happened in your sleep is over! It didn't happen!"

"Yes, it did!"

"No it…"

"Yes it did happen Rui! What happened in that dream is real!"

"Wes, it's over…"

"No, it's not!"

"Wes, what happened in that dream spooked you. I understand that…"

"No, you don't! You don't understand a damn thing that happened in that dream because you weren't there!"

"What?"

"…You know what…Just forget it."

"What?"

"Forget it."

"What do you mean, forget it?"

"I mean drop it. I'm ending the conversation, and I'm going to bed now."

"No, you're not."

"Fine. I'll go brush my teeth, then."

Wes turned around and walked towards the bathroom. Rui sprung up out of bed and ran in front of him, blocking the entrance to the door.

"No, the hell you're not! You're gonna sit here and tell me what's bothering you!"

"I don't need to tell you shit. Now excuse me."

Wes walked around her, but she grabbed him by the arm pulling him closer towards her.

"Excuse you?"

"Let me go."

"What's the problem, Wes?"

"Let…me…go…"

"Are you on crack or something?"

"…What?"

"What are you cheating on me? Is that what you dreamt about?"

Wes shakes his head in disbelief at what he was hearing.

"…What?"

"What's her name? Is it that slutty rider chick who's been flirting with you ever since we first got here?"

"Wha…"

"Or is it that blonde whore who was hitting on you at the Pokemon Center the other day?"

"The hell are you talking about? I'm not cheating on you! This has nothing to do with you!"

"Oh really? Then what is it? You do something illegal or something?"

"Let me go!"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing!"

"Did you kill someone?"

"Let me go!"

"Did you abuse someone?"

"Dammit, Rui! Would you stop with all your damned accusations and let me go!"

"What did you do?"

"Nothing!"

"What's wrong? What's your problem?"

"I don't have a damn problem!"

"Yes, you do! I find it hard to believe that a simple little dream could…"

"It wasn't some simple little dream!"

"It wasn't real!"

"Yes, it was!"

"Whatever it was shouldn't be affecting you!"

"Yes the hell it should! You can't expect a child to be physically abused for 7 years to walk away and not be affected by it!"

Rui stopped and looked at Wes with a furrowed brow. Wes paused when he realized what he said and stared at Rui.

No words were spoken for a while. Wes pulled away from Rui and walked over to a corner in the room, leaning his head against the wall. Rui just looked at her boyfriend with concern in her eyes. That same look was reflected on Umbreon and Espeon's face, who stared at their trainer sorrowfully.

"Espee…" _Oh no…_

"Umbre. Umbreon…" _Not that again. He's been through too much._

They each shared a worried glance and walked over to their trainer. A wave of guilt flew over Rui as she stared at her boyfriend. She slowly walked over to him.

"Wes?"

He didn't move.

"Wes, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't…"

"Rui…please…"

Rui paused before she spoke again.

"Wes, what happened?"

"I can't tell you." He slowly turned around to face her, his eyes closed. Tears stained his face and were glistening in fading moonlight.

"Wes please…I need to know."

"…It's not something I can tell you."

Rui bowed her head at his answer.

Wes looked back up to meet her gaze. He could see that she was ashamed at what had happened earlier and was really sorry about the whole thing.

He sighed.

"Do you really want to know?"

"More than ever."

Wes again gave a small sigh as he walked away from her. He walked into the center of the room where the light from the moon shone brightest. He turned around for her to see his back.

Rui nearly screamed at what she saw.

All of Wes' back was covered with long thin scars. They were long, thin, angry red and purple marks. The places that weren't scarred were severely bruised and burnt. Everywhere on his back was injured. Every place on his back was sore. Welts and broken skin bordered his waist, while the scars went in all directions and sliced his skin, some burying deep into the bruises. His whole back looked sickly and the wounds didn't look like they were really fading away let alone healing.

Espeon rubbed her head against Umbreon, who just nuzzled her back, trying to comfort her.

Rui began to cry she looked at her partner's bare back. Her crying became hard sobs as she walked over to Wes and lightly touched his back. He winced in pain and she immediately drew it back.

"Wha…wha…"

"I starting getting them when I was 10. It continued until I was 17. Snakewhips, Signal Whips, Irons, Excessive Kicking, Excessive Punching, Electrical Shocks, Knee Strikes, anything you can name."

"…Who did this to you?" She said almost inaudibly.

"Some of them began to heal but that's as far as they're gonna get…"

"Who did this to you?" She asked a bit more forcefully.

"Some of them are gonna remain the same since…"

"Who did this to you?"

Wes was silent for a while, his eyes closed. He slowly turned around to face her.

"Team Snagem…"

Rui looked at her boyfriend in disbelief.

"What?"

"It was when I still worked for them. I wouldn't do a few things they asked me to and…well…"

"What? They did this to you?"

"Rui, keep it down. You don't want the other guests to hear you."

"I don't care! They hurt you! They abused you!"

"Rui! Shussh!"

"Don't shush me! You're hurt!"

"I've been worse."

"What?"

"Shush!"

Wes covered her mouth as he looked towards the door.

Rui thew his hand off her mouth as she stared him directly in the eyes.

"Who did this?"

"Rui…"

"Who did this?"

"All of them! Okay? They all hit me! The whole team!"

Rui paused for a while before she began shaking her head and walked over to the phone by the bed.

"No…No…No…"

Wes ran up to her and grabbed her arm.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm calling Dunking to tell him about this," She said as she pulled away. She picked up the phone and began dialing.

Wes took the phone from her and put it back on the hook.

"No. You're gonna go back to bed and lie down."

"The hell I am!"

Rui picked back up the phone and began dialing again. Wes again took the phone from her and slammed it on the hook.

"Wes!"

"Go to bed."

Rui picked up the phone again. Wes snatched the phone from her hands and unplugged it. He then opened up the window and thew it out.

"Wes!"

"Go to bed."

"You show me all those scars on your back and expect me to do nothing?"

"Yes. That's exactly what I expect you to do. You wanted to know what my nightmare was about? There you have it, now go to bed."

"Oh, hell no. Where's my pager?" Rui went to get her purse off the dresser by the closet. Wes, seeing this, sprinted towards her and grabbed her arm again.

"Give me that!"

"Lemme go!"

"Put down the purse!"

"Let me go, Wes!"

"Put down the purse!"

"Wes!"

"Put down the purse!"

"Wes, you're hurting me!"

Wes immediately let her go, taking a few steps back, looking at her with concern in his eyes. Rui snatched her purse and took out her pager as began paging Dunking.

Wes, realizing his deception, grabbed Rui's wrist and restrained her by tightly putting his arm around her waist and squeezing it.

"Give me the pager!"

"Let go of me!"

"Drop it!"

"No!"

"Drop it!"

"Nooo!"

Wes grabbed Rui and slammed her against the wall, kneeing her with his leg to keep her secure and prevent her escaping.

"Drop the damn pager, Rui!"

"Wes…"

"Drop it!"

"Wes, you're hurting me."

"Drop the pager!"

"Wes…"

"Drop it!"

Tears began to fall down Rui's face as she felt her side go numb. Wes, seeing her cry, released his hold on her. She fell to the floor, griping her side with one hand, while supporting herself with the other.

Wes began shaking his head at what he had done. He took a few steps away from her and began looking around the room, confused and angered with himself at what he had done.

Rui gently picked herself off the ground and looked at Wes. She saw that his face was wet once more. His eyes were partly closed as he stared at her, his face full of shame.

She began walking towards him, but he stepped back even further. She continued to walk towards him and he continued to step back.

"Wes…"

He continued to step back until he hit one of the walls, instantly falling to the ground as the contact between his bare back and the wall caused a sharp pain to shoot up his spine. He grunted in pain as he slumped to the floor, not moving.

Rui, Umbreon, and Espeon were at his side in a heartbeat.

"Wes!"

He didn't respond. He just kept his eyes shut as he tried to relax his muscles so that the pain would ease out.

"Wes?"

Wes let out a small sigh.

"I'm sorry, Rui," He said, keeping his head down and his eyes close. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sorry too. I…I shouldn't have…"

Wes just gave another sigh as he dropped his head lower. Rui looked at him sorrowfully.

"Wes, what happened?"

Wes slowly opened his eyes. He still wouldn't meet her gaze.

"I wouldn't do a few things they asked me to. I got into arguments. I wouldn't listen…"

"Wes, why haven't you told anyone?"

Wes paused before he answered.

"I didn't want anyone else involved. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt."

"What?"

"Rui, Team Snagem isn't just some petty little gang. They're a dangerous evil syndicate organization. They are not ones to be messed with and not to be taken lightly."

"Wes this is serious."

"…I know…"

"…Okay, I'm taking you downstairs to Nurse Joy right now."

"No!"

"Wes, you're hurt…" Rui said as she got up and began walking towards the door.

"I know that but there's nothing you can do…"

"Wes, we need to report this…"

"No!"

Wes got up and ran after her. He took her by the shoulders and spun her around to face him.

"Wes…"

"I don't want you involved!"

"Wes, this is dangerous…"

"You don't think I know that? That's why I didn't report it in the first place. Why do you think they were so vexed with me when I broke out? It wasn't just because I stole their portable snag machine. It was because they knew what would happen if word got out about what they did to me. They already had a reputation. My telling what they did would have worsened it. I didn't want anyone else to get hurt."

"Baby, we need to report this."

"No!"

"Wes…"

"What good would that do?"

"For one, get you the help you need."

"No it won't!"

"Wes…"

"Rui, the whips and excessive beatings I got were hard and they penetrated my skin very deeply. I bled a lot, Rui. The markings on my back are not gonna go away with any kind of treatment. I'm scarred for life."

Rui shook her head. She couldn't believe this. How could he have kept this from her?

"No Wes, No…"

"You can't do anything about it. No one can."

Tears continued to flow down her face as she watched her boyfriend in disbelief.

"Wh…Why haven't I seen this before? I've seen you bare back lots of times. Why haven't I seen the markings?"

"I use a special cream that I mix together to cover them up."

"Does it…"

"It doesn't heal my wounds."

Rui's mouth slowly closed.

"It only covers them up."

"What, and it doesn't come off?"

"Not unless I take it off."

"…I don't believe you."

"Rui, I made it myself. Trust me, I made sure they were covered."

"What, you kept doing this all these years?"

"I didn't want anyone to find out."

"So why don't you have it on now?"

"I don't know what will happen if I leave it on too long. I take it off in the morning when I take a shower and before I go to bed at night."

"…Wes, you could have an infection."

"I know. But I can't do anything about it."

"I'm calling Nurse Joy. You need some kind of ointment or something…"

"No, you're not. I already tried every kind of ointment available and I told you you're not getting involved."

"Wes…"

"I just got Team Snagem off my back with this whole Shadow Pokemon fiasco thing. I don't want them to come back. I don't even know if they're not gonna come back some day and try to kill me."

"What?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if they did."

"Wes, how could you…"

"It's happened before."

"What?…"

"Before I met you, I tried to run away once. They hunted me down and I received the beating of my life. I didn't try to escape again until I gained their full trust."

No words were spoken for a while. They continued to stare at each other for long time, searching for any signs to see if the other would yield.

They didn't see anything.

Rui was the first one to break the silence.

"Are there anymore markings on your body that I should know about?"

Wes hesitated and didn't respond.

"Wes!"

With a sigh, he began to tell her.

"You see this white stripe across my face?"

Rui examined his face again.

"Yeah, you mean it's not facepaint or something?"

"No. Not even close."

Rui gave her partner a worried look.

"Wes, what is it?"

Again he was silent.

"Wes!"

"It's a chemical burn. Gonzap did it to me the first time I tried to escape."

"Wes…it's white. Chemical burns are red."

He didn't answer.

"Wes?"

"Let's just say it was a special type of chemical he used."

"But it doesn't even look like a burn."

"That's the point. The burn didn't cut me deep like my other wounds. It scraped the surface of my skin and burnt all the flesh I had there. At least the top layer."

"Does it hurt?"

"Not so much. I got used to the pain."

No words were spoken for a while. Espeon began to cry as she replayed in her head the events that happened all those years ago, while Umbreon tried desperately to calm her down. Rui again was the first one to break the silence.

"Wes, tell me what happened?"

"I already did."

"No, you didn't. You gave a very brief summary of what they did to you. I want the whole story. How you became involved, what you did when you were there, how you escaped?"

Wes looked down to the floor and closed his eyes.

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Wes…"

"Rui, please…Not now…Please don't let me relive what happened."

Rui looked him deeply in his golden eyes. He was hurting. And very badly. Very deeply. She could see this was a very sensitive topic for him and that he really didn't want to talk about it right now.

She gently put her arms around his shoulders, careful not to touch the bruises and scars on his back.

"Okay, Baby. I won't. But promise me we will talk about this?"

"Rui…"

"Wes, this is important. If we're gonna have any kind of future together, I need to know."

Wes didn't say anything for several moments. Finally, he spoke.

"Alright, Rui. We'll talk about it someday, but not anytime soon."

"Okay."

Rui gave him a light warm kiss on the lips. They stayed that way for several moments before a knock on the door caused them to separate.

They looked up to see the hotel manager there.

"Excuse me, Sir?" The slim man seemed a little embarrassed to see the hero of Orre and his girlfriend so close to each other, wearing nothing more than boxers and a completely opaque, but gave the impression of being transparent, shiny silk nighty.

"Yes?"

The man was glad the room was dark so that they wouldn't see his red face.

"Um, e-excuse me Mr. Wes, Sir, but our others guests called me saying they heard screaming and banging earlier? They sounded really worried and asked that I come and check on you."

"Oh. No Williams, everything is fine. Rui just decided to come in here earlier in the night because she said she felt lonely. A few words were spoken and, hehe, it kinda got outta hand."

Williams' eyes widened at Wes' response.

"Yeah. We're sorry we disturbed the others. We'll try to keep it down."

"I told you you were too loud."

"Well I couldn't help it. After you showed me those things I ready to scream it to the world."

Williams eyes bugged out of his head as he tried desperately to reach for the handle.

"I-I'm s-sorry I-I d-disturbed you. I'll, uh, I-I-I'll just go tell the others that everything's fine."

The little man yanked on the handle and dashed out the door and down to his office before anyone could see how red and hot his face was.

"What is with everybody today? First Dunking, then Williams?"

"I don't know?"

"It's like he thought we were…" Wes' voice trailed off as he replayed the conversation in his head. His eyes widened with understanding as looked back at the door.

"Oh my God…He thought that you…me…we…"

Rui just gave him an innocent look as a small smile spread across her face.

"Aww, man! Wait til' ONBS hears about this! The tabloids gonna hit the market by Friday! Everyone in the world is gonna think that we…Aww, man!"

"See Baby, this is why we need to take this vacation."

"Rui…" He a little less than eloquently.

"Not what I meant, Baby. Although…Look, you need a break. You've been stressing yourself out with all these meetings and missions and press conferences…"

"I'm not stressed."

Rui raised her eyebrow at his comment.

"Okay. Maybe I am a little bit overwhelmed."

"Wes…"

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Wes, this isn't healthy. Getting only an hour's worth of sleep a day isn't good. You need to rest. To relax. To get away from it all."

"What if something comes up? I need…"

"What you need is to rest."

"But…"

"Dunking and Sherles can handle it. That's what they're paid to do."

"Rui…"

"Baby, you can't do everything? You may be Orre's hero but you're also a human being. You need your rest just like everybody else does."

Wes just sighed in agreement. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Rui was right. He was stressed. He needed to rest but he never let himself do it.

"So, starting tomorrow, you are officially off duty. For 3 months you will not be known as Wes, the hero of Orre and savior of all pokemon. Tomorrow, you will be known as Wes, single, everyday ordinary guy, who's on vacation with his girlfriend and pokemon. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. But 3 months is a long time."

"Considering how long you've been active? Not long enough."

"Rui…"

"C'mon Baby, let's go back to bed. Checkout isn't until twelve so you can sleep in as long as you want."

Wes gave a small chuckle.

"Sleep in? I don't know the meaning of the word."

"Then I'll teach you," She said as she gave him another warm kiss on the lips.

Umbreon and Espeon let out a sigh of relief as they watched Wes and Rui climb into bed together and fall asleep.

"Bee. Umbre Umbreon." _Whew, that was close._

"Be, Espe Espeon-on." _Yeah, but I don't think it's over yet._

"Umbreon Umbre." _You may be right._

"Espe, Espe-on-on Espe." _I just can't shake this strange feeling that that conversation is gonna come up again._

"Be, Bre Umbreon-on." _Yeah, I feel the same way._

"Espe Espeon-on?" _Umbreon, what are we gonna do?_

"Be. Umbreon Be Umbre. Be Umbre-on-on." _Nothing. Just hope and pray for the best. I don't think Wes can take much more. He's strong, but he's still human._

"Beeee. Espe-on Espe." _Umbreon, I'm worried. He really has been through a lot._

"Umbre. Bee Umbreon." _I know. That's what scares me the most._

The two of them look back at their trainer to see him sleeping peacefully.

"Espe Espeon-on." _I really hope this vacation is worth it._

"Be-on. Bre, Umbre-on Umbre. Be Umbreon Bre-Bre." _Me too. C'mon, we better go back to bed. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow._

"Bee. Espe Espeon." _Okay. Good night, Baby._

"Umbre Umbreon." _Good Night._

The two pokemon quietly put their heads down hoping for sleep to come and take away them away if only for a little bit, and hoping that their trainer's past wouldn't show up like they sensed it would.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope you all liked the introduction. What exactly is Wes' past? And will it come up again as Umbreon and Espeon predicted? Well, that's why you keep reading.

In case you haven't noticed, Espeon refers to Wes as 'Master' while Umbreon refers to him by his name—Wes. This is because Espeon sees Wes as her true Master and being the extremely loyal pokemon she is, she cares deeply about him and his well-being. While Umbreon, who cares about Wes just as deeply as Espeon, just calls him by his name since he sees him as his very best friend—much like the relationship between Pikachu and Ash. He is usually the first one to jump in and protect Wes, being somewhat rash at times, while Espeon will try to protect him by using her psychic powers.

Anyway, hope you all enjoyed it so far.

Please don't forget to review. Love you all! And since the year's not over yet, I wish you all a very prosperous New Year!

XyKPfan


	2. Going on Vacation

"Rui, would you please hurry up? We're gonna miss our flight."

"In a minute. I'm putting on my make-up."

"That's what you said thirty minutes ago!"

"Would you calm down, Wes?"

"I'd calm down if you actually came out of the damn bathroom. The pilot is waiting on us. Not to mention Dunking, Eagun, Beluh, Sherles, and Silva."

"Would you relax already? It's a private jet. It's not like the pilot's gonna take off without us."

Wes threw his hands up in defeat and gave a large huff as sat down on the bed. Rui was gonna make them late. Their flight was at three o' clock and it was already two fifty. The fact that Rui wasn't even trying to make an effort to catch their flight was frustrating him. To Wes, it didn't matter if he was flying in a private jet, on a commercial airplane, or on the back of his Flygon. Late was late. And that didn't sit too well with him.

"You know, it was your idea to take this stupid vacation," Wes called out as he did a once over to make sure they had everything packed.

"You didn't think it was so stupid the other day when you tried to suck all the oxygen out of my lungs."

Wes smirked at her statement.

"That wasn't until you started nibbling. You nearly tore my ear off."

"Was that before you tried to sneak your way to second base?"

"No, it was after you put all those freaking hickeys on my neck," Wes said as he began making up the bed. Rui may have been a pretty face, but she knew nothing about housekeeping.

"Would you chill already, Baby?"

"Would you get out of the damn bathroom already, Babe?"

"Wes, the pilot's not gonna leave us here."

"How do you know?"

"Because anybody who's anybody would consider it a great privilege and honor to be flying the hero of Orre out of town."

"That's beside the point. Hero or not, I don't stand for lateness. I always like to arrive and leave promptly. On-time."

"I don't think the pilot would mind, Wes. He's very ecstatic to be taking Orre's hero out on his vaca."

"I thought you said I wouldn't be known as _Orre's Hero_ or _The Hero of Orre_ from here on out?"

"No, I said you were officially off duty. You won't be known as Orre's hero when you step on that plane."

"All the more reason to hurry up and leave, now."

"Would you please relax, Baby? Our vacation hasn't officially begun yet."

"What?"

"It hasn't…"

"What was with that whole speech you gave me last night, then?"

"Why don't you carry our luggage downstairs so Dunking can load them on the plane? I should be out by the time you come back upstairs."

Wes gawked at Rui as he stared at the bathroom door. Grumbling to himself, he picked up _her_ luggage and started out the door with Espeon behind him. His own luggage was already on the plane.

Wes struggled a bit as he warily began walking down the stairs. He almost fell down when one of Rui's carry-ons hit his leg. If Espeon wasn't there to catch him with Psychic, he most likely would have broken a few ribs.

_Just what the hell does she have in these things?_

Wes was somewhat relieved when he saw Dunking and Umbreon at the bottom of stairs waiting for him.

"Well if it isn't, Wes. How you doin', boy?"

"Hey, Dunki…" Wes' voiced trailed off as he stumbled over the last step and fell. He was thankful that Dunking was there to catch him, and even more so that he began lifting his girlfriend's ponderous luggage off his back.

"Whoa, easy there, boy. Don't wanna strain yourself," Dunking said as he heaved Rui's four large suitcases on his shoulders.

"Yeah, I guess not," Wes said as he began rubbing his back.

"Yah'll ready for the big trip?"

"I guess."

"Where's Rui?"

Wes made a rude sound.

"In the bathroom taking her precious time reapplying her make-up."

"Reapplying?"

"Yeah. She's been in there putting on and taking off all kinds of cosmetics for two hours. Two freaking hours! What the hell is so important about putting powder on your face is beyond my understanding."

"That's how women are, Wes. I remember my wife, Sarah…whoa boy, did she take forever in the lavatory. Though, I wouldn't say it was two hours."

"Rui did take two hours. I've been keeping time."

"Boy, look at you. Here you are goin' on vacation and you still stressin' yourself out. Nice clothes by the way," Dunking said noticing Wes' choice of clothing. He was wearing a powder blue/white embroidered casual guayabera shirt with white shorts and sandals.

"What, this? Rui picked it out for me."

"She what?"

"Yeah, she bought it for me the other day. Said I needed to look _relaxed_ and get into _character_ for our upcoming vacation."

Dunking was about to say something when Wes cut him off.

"Don't ask me what she meant by that, because I don't know. All I do know is that we're late. The fact that we're riding in a private jet is what makes it worse."

"Maybe you are taking this a little _too_ far, Wes."

"Not you too, Dunking," He said as Umbreon walked over by his side. Espeon gave her partner a welcoming nuzzle as he sat down beside her.

Dunking continued.

"Seriously, Wes, James isn't going to take off without you. He'd gladly wait until you and Rui are done."

"That's beside the point, Dunking. It doesn't matter to me whether he'd leave or stay. The point is we shouldn't be putting him in a compromising position. Rui and I made an appointment to leave at 3:00. It's already…3:20! What?" Wes screamed as he looked at the Rolex watch he had gotten as a gift a few months ago.

"I had no idea we were that late!"

"Calm down, Wes. It's really not that…"

"I can't believe this," Wes said as he began pacing.

"Boy, you really do need to calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down? How the hell can I calm down, Dunking?"

"Well…"

"Rui and I got up at ten o' clock. We took a shower around ten forty-five and yes, we took _separate_ showers. At eleven, _I_ started cleaning up the room while Rui stayed in the bathroom. Checkout was at twelve, yet, here we are, still, because Rui wants to take her freaking time in the bathroom!"

"Well, I'm not in the bathroom anymore, Baby."

Wes paused as he and Dunking looked up the stairs to see Rui.

Rui was wearing an amaranth pink tube top with a white pleated mini skirt and an ebony belt, as well as tan _Karla_ wedge sandals. She had on bright pink eye shadow and pale pink lip gloss. For the first time, she wore her hair down, instead of up in two buns like how she always did in the past, allowing Wes to see how long her hair really was—mid-back. She had on a few accessories but they went unnoticed by Wes. Plusle was also perched on her shoulder.

The way Rui looked now almost made Wes glad that she had made them late.

Almost.

"Look at that serious face," Rui said as she walked up to her boyfriend and grasped his chin.

"Would you relax already, Baby? The whole reason we're taking this vacation is to melt all those tight muscles and knots in your body away," She said as she began massaging his shoulders.

Wes unwrapped her arms from around his neck as he looked her straight in the eye.

"That's what you spent so long in the bathroom doing? Putting on eye shadow and lip gloss?"

"Hey, this isn't just lip gloss. It's _La Vie en Rose_ lip gloss. And no, this wasn't the only thing I was doing in the bathroom. You'd know that if you actually took the time to notice what else I'm wearing."

"A tube top and mini skirt doesn't look like it takes very long to put on, which I still don't know why you're wearing."

Rui turned around so Wes could see her completely before placing her arms around his shoulders once more.

"Well, we'll see once we get on the plane now, won't we?"

"Okay, I've heard enough. I'm gonna go load these on the plane," Dunking said as he walked away from the couple, shaking his head in the process. The two didn't seem to notice.

"Why do you look so nervous?"

"I'm not nervous. I'm just a little uncomfortable."

"What, about my outfit? I thought you'd like I it? You don't?"

"I never said that."

"So you do like it?"

"It's having some kind of effect on me."

"Plusle liked it, didn't you, Plusle?"

Plusle gave Rui a thumbs-up as she hopped on Wes' shoulder.

"Plusle, would. You guys spend every waking moment together."

"Not true. You use Plusle every time you battle."

"Not _every _time. Maybe Umbreon and Espeon, but I don't use Plusle every time."

"Every time you get the chance."

Wes shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say? She loves to battle," he said as he looked over to her. Plusle began nuzzling his face.

"Alright, you two. Everything's packed and in order. James says he's ready when you are." Dunking said as he approached the group again. Plusle hopped off Wes' shoulder and onto Dunking's.

"Hey, Plusie. How's my little girl?"

"Pla!"

"I thought the twins were your little girls?"

"No, they're my baby girls. Plusle, is my little girl."

"I'm telling them you said that."

"Go ahead, boy. I don't care. What are they gonna do?"

"I don't know, Dunking. What _are_ they gonna do?"

Dunking cut his eyes at Wes.

"Don't you be thinkin' like that, boy."

"Thinking like what?"

"You know what you thinkin' about."

"Honestly Dunking, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Boy, you know what I'm talking about."

"Dunking…"

"Secc is just their friend. He..."

"Whoa, whoa! Hold on a second. When did this conversation become about Secc?"

"What?"

"I never mentioned his name."

"You were thinkin' it!"

"No I wasn't!"

"Okay, you guys. Amp down a bit. It's really not that big of a deal," Rui cut in.

"Man, whatever," Wes said as he took out a pokéball, "Let's go, Plusle."

The little mouse had a disapproving look on her face.

"What?"

"Boy, why you tryin' to put Plusle in that thing? You know she don't like bein' in it."

"It's safe."

"What do you mean, _it's safe_? You keep Umbreon and Espeon outside of their pokéball," Rui again cut in. She didn't Plusle inside her pokéball either.

"That's different. Umbreon and Espeon rarely go inside their pokéball since they were never caught. It wasn't until I left Team Snagem that I decided to make it official."

"Well, Plusle's the same way," Dunking said, "She's not use to being in a pokéball. She was never in one when she was my pokemon. It was only when she joined you that she went in one, and that was only so she could become a member of your team."

"But…"

"Wes, Plusle likes being outside with us. Can't you let her stay out? Please, Baby?" Rui said as she snuggled up close to her boyfriend. She knew the effect her clothes would have on him, which is why she put it on in the first place.

It was her secret weapon.

And it was working!

Rui saw the uneasiness in his eyes. The bead of sweat that began to trickle down his forehead.

He was such a good man.

"Uh…"

"Please, Baby?"

Rui pushed herself closer onto him, if that was even possible.

"Okay, okay! Plusle can stay out! Please, just back up a bit," Wes said as he tried to push Rui off of him.

Rui smiled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and crushed her body into his as she squeezed him as hard as she could.

"Oh, thank you, Baby! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Wes began to panic as he tried desperately to pry his girlfriend off of him.

"Rui, please!"

Rui pulled back and looked him sadly in his eyes.

"What's wrong? You don't want me to hug you?"

"No, it's not that…it's…"

"You don't want me close to you?"

"That's not what I meant. It's just…" Wes had trouble searching for the right words as he tried to extract himself from his girlfriend's hold.

"Don't you love me, Baby?"

"Yes. Yes, I do. I just…it's just…"

Rui smiled slightly as she kissed him firmly on the lips.

Wes' hands froze and stopped their mission of trying to get Rui off of him. Instead, they dropped limply at his sides as he nearly melted in her tight embrace.

When Rui pulled back, she noticed how hot and red his face was. She was smiling devilishly to herself on the inside.

Man, was she good!

"Well, that was something I did _not_ need to see," Dunking said to himself, though loud enough for the couple to hear.

Rui smiled at Dunking as she let go of her boyfriend, much to his relief.

"Guess we should get going. Come on, Plusle," Rui called out as Plusle hopped from Dunking's shoulder onto hers, both of them giggling uncontrollably as they walked toward the hotel's entrance.

Wes still stood there, unsure of what to do. He still felt _extremely_ uncomfortable about the situation.

He nearly doubled over as he felt a powerful hand slap him hard on his back. He grunted in pain, though it went unnoticed by Dunking.

"Boy, are you in for it when you get on that plane," Dunking laughed as he began following after Rui.

Wes sighed as he began to walk uneasily after Dunking, Umbreon and Espeon behind him, shaking their heads.

* * *

A small smile formed on Wes' face as he met Eagun, Beluh, Chief Sherles, and Officer Johnson at the hotel's front doors.

"Why Wes, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost?"

"Not a ghost, Beluh," Wes said as he shot a glance over at his girlfriend, who just puckered her lips as she winked at him.

"You two ready for your trip?" Sherles asked.

"As we'll ever be, I guess."

Silva struggled to get through the hotel doors as a series of flashes was seen coming from outside. He slumped against the doors with a sigh once he got inside.

"They're out there?"

"Yeah, Wes. Man, a guy can't even walk across the street and into a hotel without those press guys smothering him for answers about _Orre's Hero_."

Wes sighed as he shook his head.

"Oh, yeah! That reminds me. I meant to show you something," Silva said as he shot up off the ground and approached Wes.

"What is it?"

"Happen to catch the paper, dude?" Silva said as a sly smile spread across his face. "You and Rui made front page."

"What is it this time?"

"You might wanna read it yourself," He said as he held up the paper for Wes to see.

"Orre's Hero and Girlfriend Caught in the Act."

"Wait a minute, I've been reduced to _and Girlfriend_," Rui said fiercely. Wes took the paper from Silva as he continued reading.

"Top story today. Orre's own hero, Wes, and girlfriend Ruge…"

"Ruge?"

"…Are caught in the act. The two were seen walking into Pyrite's _Caladina Hotel _around 8:47 PM last night. Not long after entering, that it was stated that the two engaged in some kind of 'nookie'. It was confirmed this morning by the hotel manager, Mr. Danny Williams, that the couple did indeed engage in some form of sexual activity. The picture above was taken from the hotel's security camera."

The room was silent for a while. Wes grew angrier and angrier as he continued to read the passage over and over again. He could feel his face get hot as he stared at the picture of Rui climbing into his bed and of him pulling the covers back, both wearing a smile on their face.

"What did I tell you, Rui!" Wes yelled as he balled the newspaper up.

"Ruge?"

"I knew it! I knew they were gonna do this!"

"They called me, Ruge?"

"Wow, Wes. Didn't know you and Rui were like that. So tell me, do you two do some _nookie_ every time you enter a hotel?" Silva said with a smirk.

Wes glared at Silva.

"I mean, how many times have you two stayed at a hotel over the last few years? Over a thousand, right? And you still have enough energy to get up in the morning? Wow, those Viagra pills must do wonders!"

Wes lunged at Silva and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him dangerously close to his face.

"Wanna repeat that, buddy?" Wes snarled as he stared sharp daggers at Silva.

"Wes, let go of him!" Rui screamed as she began pulling on her boyfriend.

"Yeah, man. It was just a joke…"

"Does it look like I'm laughing?"

"Wes!"

"Put him down, Wes," Eagun said in a calm, but firm voice.

Wes stared at the old man for a long time. Golden hard eyes met hard green ones.

"Put him down, Wes," he said again.

Wes gave a huff as he threw Silva back on the ground. Rui fell into his arms as she hugged him tightly. No tears fell down her face, but she sobbing—hard. Wes rubbed her back to try and comfort her.

Eagun continued to speak.

"There's no need to result to violence, Wes."

"Eagun…"

Eagun held his hand up to tell Wes to let him continue.

"Now, we both know that what was stated in that newspaper is not true. It's not true, correct?"

"Of course not…"

"Then, there's no reason to continue this conversation."

"Eagun…"

"Although I agree that Silva's little quip was not necessary," Eagun said as he shot Silva a glance, "There's no reason to get huffy. What's done is done, Wes. We cannot change the past. So, let's just move on from here," Agate's elder said as he placed a firm hand on Wes' shoulder.

"We can move on, can't we?"

Wes exhaled loudly as he closed his eyes.

"Can't we?"

Wes looked up meet the old man's gaze.

"Yes, Eagun. We can move on from here."

"Good," Eagun said as he walked back over to his wife.

"Security camera my ass."

"Wes…"

"I'm sorry Eagun, but I'm still fuming. You can clearly tell that picture was taking from the window. Dammit! Why can't Ancha and all those other newscasters just leave me alone?"

"I'm still upset that they called me Ruge!"

"Alright, you two. That's enough. Like Eagun just said, there's nothing we can do, so let's just move on," Beluh said as she slid her arm into her husband's.

Wes gave a sigh as he glanced at the door.

"You guys ready?" Dunking asked.

"As we'll ever be, Dunking," Wes said as he pulled his spy glasses down on his face.

"You ready, Babe?"

"Hold on. Let me put on my sun glasses," Rui said as she took out a pair of round sun glasses out of her purse.

"Okay, I'm ready."

"Umbreon? Espeon?"

The two pokémon gave their trainer a nod, which he returned.

"Chief?"

Chief Sherles gave Wes a nod as he and Officer Johnson opened up the hotel's double doors. A series of flashes were seen coming from outside.

Rui grasped Wes' hand as they walked out together.

* * *

Wes and Rui were barely out of the door when Ancha and the other newscasters bombarded them, or more specifically Wes, with hordes of questions.

"Mr. Wes, is it true that you will be going out of town?"

"Who will look after Orre if you're not here to protect us?"

"Mr. Wes, is it true that you and your girlfriend, Ruge, engaged in sexual activity just last night in this very hotel?"

"Aha! So it was you who screwed up my name!"

Rui slowly stormed over to the skinny women in front of one of the thousands of cameras surrounding them.

"Rui…"

"Let me tell you a thing or two about who I am…"

"Rui…" Wes began tugging on his girlfriend's arm as he tried to make an effort to get over to their plane.

"Now, let's get a few things straight. The name's Rui! R-U-I! Rui! Not, Ruge! Rui!"

"Rui, Babe, I think we better…"

"And I don't know who you think you are, but in case you didn't notice, Orre wouldn't even have a hero if it wasn't for me! I'm the one who saw those Shadow Pokémon and who believed in my boyfriend even when you all were too stupid to believe in him your damn selves!"

"Rui!"

"You think about that the next time you try reducing me to just _Girlfriend Ruge_, which by the way, IS NOT MY NAME!"

"Okay, I've heard enough," Wes said as he heaved her over his shoulder and carried her towards the plane.

"Wes, what the hell? Put me down!"

"No way, Babe. This is the only way I can get you on the plane and still not give anyone a peep show." Wes said as he forced himself through the crowd of newscasters.

"Mr. Wes, is it true that you won't be back for two years?"

"Do you ever plan on coming back to Orre?"

"Mr. Wes, will you still be our hero?"

"No. Yes. Always," Wes answered as he continued to push his way through the crowd.

"Put me down, Wes!"

"I will when we get on the plane."

Wes heard a little voice called out to Wes behind the newscasters. He looked up to see a teenage girl jumping up and down, waving her hands for him to notice her.

"Wes! Oh, Wes! I love you!"

"Love you too," he called back as he saw the jet not too far from them.

"Wes! Will you be my Valentine," another girl called out from behind.

"Already taken, thanks for the offer, though," Wes said as forced himself through the crowd.

"Wes!"

"Little help here, Espeon," Wes said as he looked down towards his pokemon.

The sun pokemon looked up at her human as she began hitting one of the pokeballs on his waist. An owl pokemon was released.

"Noctowl, use Hypnosis."

"What?"

The bird pokemon flew in front of Wes as she stared Rui right in the eyes, her eyes glowing a bright blue as she did this.

"Oh no, Wes. You are not about to put me to sleep. I will not…"

"Sorry, Babe. But I have to do this. Espeon?"

Espeon began using Psychic to keep Rui's eyes open as Noctowl got closer to her face.

"No, Wes. This is so wrong! Put me down! Put…me…down…" Rui's voice trailed off as she felt her eyes grow heavy. It wasn't that long until she went limp in Wes' arms. Plusle hopped on Wes' shoulder.

"Sorry, Babe," Wes said as he tried to reposition Rui in his arms so that he wouldn't be giving anyone a little show. He switched into a bridal-style position.

"Thanks, Noctowl," he said reaching for her pokéball.

The bird pokémon bowed her head as she went back inside her pokéball. Shortly after recalling Noctowl, Wes threw the pokéball over to Dunking, who was right behind him trying to fend off the press.

"Take the pokéball back to the Pokémon Center. I won't be needing Noctowl for this vacation."

Dunking nodded his head as he put the pokéball on his waist.

"I Love You, Wes," another girl called from the crowd.

"Love you too, I'm taken though," Wes replied as he began boarding the jet.

"Mr. Wes, one more question. Is it true that you and your girlfriend engaged in sexual intercourse last night?"

Wes stopped. For the first time since he was out there, he didn't try to escape the press.

Slowly, he turned around to face the large crowd of reporters.

"Ancha, I'm going to tell you this once, and only once. So you're gonna have to listen closely."

Wes paused as the group of reporters instantly got quiet.

"Shut up."

"What?"

"I said shut up. With all due respect Ancha, it's none of your damn business what my girlfriend and I did in that hotel. I don't go around asking you who've you slept with, so don't come barging in here and think that just because you're the press, you could do whatever the hell you want, because you can't. Now, what Williams said about us is false and I'll talk to him about that later. We did _not_…let me make sure you heard that…_not_ have sex in that hotel, nor have we ever in any hotel. Oh, and that little picture you took of me and my girlfriend last night, you know damn well that wasn't from the hotel's security camera. One, the cameras are in the lobby, and two, that picture was a window shot, and you know that. But, whatever. I'm not gonna waste my time lecturing you on something like this because that's not gonna change anything. You're still gonna stretch the truth and lie and do whatever the hell you wanna do. I'm not gonna go into that anymore. I'm done. I'm leaving to go on vacation with my girlfriend now, whose name by the way, is Rui, _not_ Ruge. I just had to clear that up. Okay? Are we clear? You guys got anymore questions?...No?...Good. See you in three months," And with that, Wes turned around and walked inside the jet, with Rui in his arms, and Umbreon and Espeon behind him.

To say Wes' response left everyone flabbergasted would be a major understatement. Not long after he boarded the plane, that Ancha and all the other newscasters raided the _Caladina Hotel_, demanding to see Danny Williams, the manager, leaving Dunking, Chief Sherles, Officer Johnson, Eagun, and Beluh outside to look at the private jet in front of them.

"Damn, that was cold," Silva said as he looked up at the jet.

"Well, you can't say they didn't have that coming," Johnson replied.

Dunking looked up to see the pilot wave at them.

"They're about to take off."

"Guess we better go inside, then," Eagun said as he started for the hotel.

"Uh, Eagun? Did you not just see the hordes of angry people who just stormed off into that hotel?" Silva said pointing towards the hotel.

"Hmm."

A wide smile spread across Beluh's face.

"Let's go to my house then. I can make cookies."

"Beluh…"

"I love cookies," Johnson said while clapping his hands, earning himself a scornful look from his boss.

"I love cookies, too", Silva said in agreement.

"Then it's settled. Everyone at my house for cookies."

"Yeah, alright!"

"Cookies!"

"Why did I promote you to an officer?"

"You know, I'm a big fan of cookies."

Beluh, Johnson, Silva, and Dunking all started walking towards the police station, leaving Eagun standing there by himself.

With a sigh, he began walking after them, grumbling to himself about nothing in particular.

* * *

Wes gently placed Rui on the seat before securely strapping her in. He checked to make sure that she was in a comfortable position so that she wouldn't wake up with any strained muscles.

After looking her over a final time he looked up to see that Umbreon, Espeon, and Plusle were already securely strapped into the seats specifically made for them and were soundly asleep.

_"Mr. Wes, we're about to prepare for takeoff," _the pilot said from the intercom.

"Okay, Jameson. We're all set."

_"Roger that."_

Wes sat down in his seat and fastened his seatbelt just as the jet started to move. It wasn't until they were in the air that he decided to survey the room again.

Umbreon and Espeon were sound asleep, while Plusle continued to look out the window, transfixed by all the sights she was seeing from this altitude.

A small smile formed on Wes' face as he looked over at his girlfriend. He gently parted the few strands of hair that was covering her face and slid them behind her ear.

And she said _he_ was a sleeping beauty.

Wes began to get a warm feeling as he continued to gaze at his girlfriend. Leaning towards her, he kissed her softly on her forehead.

After another quick glance around the room, Wes settled into his seat as sleep slowly came to him.


	3. A Bump in the Night

_Wes again fell to the floor out of breath, cowering, covering his head with his arms, as the long leather snake whip penetrated his skin once more. He tried to cry out, and opened his mouth to scream, but he was voiceless. He could not escape his boss' wrath. He couldn't see but he knew he was bleeding from the welts and cuts caused by the steel-ball on the butt of the whip._

_He could hear his Eevee cry out as they witnessed the beating._

_Wes felt two barbarous hands remove his arms from around his head and roughly pick him up. No sooner had he been picked up that he felt the whip hit him across his face, opening up a long ugly gash across his cheek._

_In agonizing pain, Wes flopped on his belly clawing at the ground trying to crawl away, but the unrelenting sting of the snakewhip stayed with him._

_Wes cried out as he felt a sharp kick in his side knocking him straight into a wall. Wes grasped his stomach firmly as he felt the presence of his boss above him. Wes looked up to see a large muscular mustached man and Team Snagem's leader standing above him, a grim look on his face. _

"_You worthless ungrateful maggot! You dare defy me?!" he yelled as he whipped the young boy again._

"_I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Wes cried out as he felt Gonzap land another powerful blow across his face._

"_Sorry? Boy, you think sorry is enough to cover up your actions?!" he said as he kicked Wes in his side. _

"_Do you have any idea what you've done?!"_

_Wes struggled to see Gonzap as his tears blinded his vision._

"_I'm sorry…I…I didn't mean to…" Wes was cut off as another kick in his stomach sent him skidding across the dirt._

"_Sorry don't mean nothin' to me, boy." Gonzap sneered._

"_Gonzap…I…I didn't mean to…"_

"_Shut up!"_

_Wes instantly began cowering again as the large man approached him once more._

"_I told you this was a grown man's business before you signed up, didn't I? I warned you on several occasions, didn't I?!" he bellowed as he whipped Wes right across his back, causing the youth to fall helplessly to the ground._

"_You think that just because you're 10 that you're exempt from all the consequences following your actions? Huh?" he said as he delivered another powerful blow into Wes' side causing him to double-over in pain._

"_You're just a fellow worker to me just as Wakin, Biden, Agrev, and all the other workers are!" he bellowed as he kicked Wes again._

"_I own you! You don't defy me!" he said as he slashed the snakewhip directly across Wes' back._

_Wes cried out in pain as he tried to escape the demented man's wrath._

"_You going somewhere, boy?"_

_Wes struggled to get to his feet as he started run. He was unsuccessful as both Biden and Agrev roughly grabbed him and slammed him into the wall, causing him to scream out in pain._

"_Big mistake, boy," Gonzap said as he began approaching Wes._

_Wes' heard his Eevee cry out as they desperately tried to escape Wakin's hold on them._

"_Shut up!" Gonzap yelled as he stared at the __mammalian creatures_.

"_Gonzap, Leader, what should I do with them?" Wakin asked as he held them by their tails._

"_Keep them there. I want them to see their trainer suffer for the foolishness of his actions." He said as he once again began approaching Wes._

"_You little shit," he said as he snapped his whip, "Trying to leave was a big mistake."_

_Wes looked up in horror as he saw Gonzap lift the whip high above his head. He heard his Eevee scream as they looked on at the display. _

_Writhering in pain, Wes started to holler._

"_Please, Gonzap! Please! I'm sorry!"_

_Wes' plea fell on deaf ears as Gonzap snapped the whip once more. Wes saw the whip begin to fall as it got closer to his face._

"_No, Gonzap! Please! Please!"_

_Team Snagem's leader struck him harder with each determined descent of the whip._

_Wes gave a piecing scream as the whip came down even more powerful than before. _

Gasping, Wes' eyes sprang open! His heart raced as he realized he was not outside of Team Snagem's hideout being beaten senselessly by Gonzap.

He began looking around the room to see where he was. He realized he was still on the private jet.

He looked to his left to see an empty seat beside him. Then he looked at his watch.

7:23.

_Three hours. Rui would've woken up by know. Must be in the bathroom._

Wes began surveying the room once more.

He saw that Umbreon and Espeon were still sound asleep and that Plusle had fallen asleep some time too.

Wes pressed a button on the ceiling above as he began to speak.

"Jameson, how far along are we?"

"_We've got about three more hours before landing, Sir."_ Wes heard him say on the intercom.

"Roger that. Skies clear?"

"_Crystal, Sir. Should be from here on out."_

"Copy that," he said as he let go of the call button.

He began to settle into his seat once more when he felt a pair of feminine hands grasp his shoulders. He looked up to see Rui standing above him.

"Can I help you?"

Rui sat down on his lap and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.

"Actually you can."

"In what way?"

"By relaxing," she said as she began massaging his shoulders once more. Wes sighed as he felt his girlfriend's fingers press him deeply in his shoulders.

"My God, Wes. All these knots! What happened, did you have another nightmare or something?" she said as she began kneading his muscles.

When Wes didn't answer, Rui began to get concerned and stopped massaging his shoulders.

"Oh my God. You did have another nightmare, didn't you?"

"No," he lied.

"What's wrong then?"

"Just thinking about how Orre would remain safe with me all the way out here," he said with a sigh.

Rui rolled her eyes.

"I thought we talked about this?"

"What if something comes up?"

"Dunking and Sherles can handle it. That's _their_ job. They were doing that long before you came and will long afterwards."

"What do you mean, long afterwards_?_"

"I mean, after you retire…"

"Retire?"

Rui began massaging his shoulders again.

"Yes, Wes. Retire. Everyone does sometime…"

"Not me."

"Wes…"

"Rui, I love what I do. This saving the world thing isn't just a hobby or something I do for kicks or fun. It's a part of me. I have to go on missions. I have to train. I have to do all those things."

"Wes…"

"Rui, it's not as point blank as you think. This isn't just in black and white. There are shades of gray too."

"I understand that, Wes…"

"Do you?"

Rui stopped massaging his shoulders and looked him straight in his eyes. They were hard and serious.

"Rui, doing what I do is the only thing that can help me forget my past. It keeps me motivated and lets me know that tomorrow is indeed a brighter day. Seeing the cheerful look on a person's face once they've seen my work gives me an indescribable feeling. I can't just stop doing this, Rui. I just can't."

Rui began caressing her boyfriend's face.

"Wes, if it wasn't for your past, you probably wouldn't be who you are today."

Wes furrowed his brow as he continued to stare at his girlfriend.

"Wes, do you think for once, that you wouldn't be off saving the world, if you hadn't experienced what you did when you were a member of Team Snagem?"

"Rui, you don't know what I have experienced."

"I don't have to. You know that if they hadn't treated you so badly, or the pokemon there so badly, that you probably wouldn't have the overdriving passion to put an end to all things cruel and inhumane in the first place? That you probably wouldn't aspire to do good and always do good?"

"Rui…"

"Let me speak, Wes."

Wes closed his mouth as he continued to look at his girlfriend.

"Wes, some thing's are just too dangerous for anyone to even consider doing. Yet, you have the drive to jump into the most suicidal things imaginable. There are things out there that cause people to go through a traumatic experience, yet, you are not affected in the least. Do you see where I'm getting at, Baby? You do the things you do because of what you've been through. You don't want another living being to experience what you did because it was so horrible. You've proven to the world that a hero's job is never done because you live your life protecting and facing dangers everyday. You are strong and I'm so proud of you for overcoming all of those obstacles. But you have to turn in that title some day. Wes, I'm not prepared to face life without you. Everyday you go out on a mission I worry about you. I worry about whether you'd make it back. If you're alive every second you're away. I love you, Wes. I don't want to lose you," Rui's voice cracked as she said that last sentence. Tears began to fall down her face.

Wes lovingly looked up at his girlfriend. He began wiping the tears on her face away as he looked her directly in her blue eyes.

"You're not gonna lose me."

"How do you know?"

Wes grasped her hand and gave it a firm squeeze.

"Because I can't live my life knowing that I hurt you so much or caused you so much pain," He said as he continued to wipe away her tears.

"I love you. I love you so much, that I've run out of ways to tell you. You're not gonna lose me. You never will, so don't even worry about that. Get that thought out of you're mind because you're never, ever gonna lose me, okay?"

Rui gave him a nod as a small smile formed on her lips.

"Alright, now you stop crying." He said as he kept wiping away her tears, earning himself a chuckle from his girlfriend.

"You okay now? You're fine?"

Rui gave him another nod.

Wes smiled as he kissed his girlfriend right on the lips. It was the softest, gentlest kiss Rui had ever experienced. It was so tender and loving. It was as though she were very fragile and he was trying not to break her.

Slowly, oh so tantalizingly slowly, he reached his tongue out to touch her closed lips. His tongue traced the outside of her lips before arriving back to the crevice between her upper and lower lip. He pushed forward gently, and she willingly opened her mouth so that his tongue could enter. Up and down, up and down his tongue scraped against hers, massaging it gently. She felt herself shudder as a tingle that started from her center, flowed all throughout her body.

Rui moaned in pleasure and began to push herself further onto Wes as she felt him lift the hem of her mini skirt, with no protest on her part.

Just as things were starting to heat up, the irritating _ding_ of the intercom sounded.

"_Attention passengers, we are just about to head into some cumulonimbus clouds. Some turbulence may occur. Please adhere to the safety seatbelt sign above. I apologize for the inconvenience."_

Rui stared coldly at the small little intercom above her, then directed her gaze towards the cockpit.

"Well, there goes my mood," Wes said dryly as he put his hands behind his head, "How anticlimactic."

"I can't believe he did that! When I get my hands on him…"

"Hey, hey. Easy there, Rui. James didn't really do anything wrong. At least, not on purpose. He only warned us that some turbulence may be coming up."

As if on cue, the plane jerked as the turbulence caused the jet to shake and aroused Umbreon and Espeon. Plusle was still sound asleep, though.

Rui was lucky that Wes was holding on to her, otherwise, she would a plummeted straight down the aisle.

"See, there's a reason for everything," Wes said as a sly grin spread across his face, "If Jameson hadn't told us about the turbulence you could busted your pretty little head open after you fell and hit the cockpit door."

"So not."

As if to prove his point, the turbulent winds shook the plane once more, causing Rui to hit her head against the seat in front of her.

"What did I say? It's a sign, Rui. Now be a good little girl and go to your seat and strap yourself in."

"And if I don't?"

Again, the powerful winds caused the plane to jerk and cause Rui to scrape her elbow against the armrest. She winced in pain as she began rubbing it. When she opened her eyes, she saw Wes looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, fine! I'll go in my seat!" she said as she got off his lap and sat down in the seat next to him.

She began strapping herself in.

"Happy now?"

"Yes. Yes I am."

"I was so comfortable in your arms, on your lap," She said as she folded her arms.

"Safety first, then comfort."

Rui folded her arms tighter as she closed her eyes. A smile formed on Wes' lips and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"C'mon, Babe. Relax. That's what you're always telling me? Look, we've still got about two hours before the plane lands. How 'bout we both catch up on our sleep and try to get forty winks?"

Rui opened her eyes as she snuggled up to her boyfriend and placed her head on that special spot on his shoulder, a wide smile on her face.

"Okay, Baby. But I want you to get more than forty winks. You need it."

"I'll try."

Rui gave him one final kiss on the lips before she nuzzled herself into her shoulder. It wasn't long before she fell asleep.

Wes kissed Rui gently on the forehead as he placed his chin on her head. A worried look formed on his face as he thought about Rui's request.

_I want you to get more than forty winks._

Sleep was the furthest thing from his mind after his last dream.

Wes began looking around the room. He locked eyes with Umbreon. His friend had a worrisome expression on his face.

"What?"

"Umbre, Umbreon-on."

"I'm fine, Umbreon. Really."

"Umbreon-on Umbre."

"You saw me?"

"Be," He said with a nod.

"Well, it's over now. Nothing to worry about."

"Beeeee."

"Stop that!"

"Beeeee."

"I told you I'm fine. Now we both better get some rest. Okay?"

Umbreon blinked a couple times, that worrisome expression still on his face.

"Good night, Umbreon. And don't worry about me, Okay?"

Umbreon blinked at him.

"Okay?"

"Be."

"Alright, good night," Wes said as he snuggled into his seat and closed his eyes, hoping to dream of something peaceful for once.

Umbreon continued to stare at his human with nothing but pure worry.

"Espe Espeon-on?" _He's still having them?_

Umbreon turned around to see Espeon looking at him, concern in her glistening blue eyes.

"Umbre on?" _You're awake?_

"Espe Espe Espeon. Espe Be?" _Have been since the turbulence kicked in. How is he?_

Umbreon looked over at his sleeping trainer.

"Be Umbre. Umbre Umbreon-on." _Not good. He's still having those nightmares._

"Beee. Be Espee. Espeon, Espe Be Be." _No, not again. Umbreon, I'm starting to get real worried. _

"Beeee. Umbre Be Umbre. Be Umbreon Umbre Umbre." _Me too. Let's try not to think about it. We'll be landing in a few hours, so he'll get the break he needs._

"Espee." _Okay._

"Umbre-on Umbre. Be Umbre." _Try to get some rest. We really need it._

"Espe. Espe, Espeon." _Okay. Good night, Umbreon._

"Umbre Umbreon." _Good night._

Espeon closed her eyes and put her head down as she fell asleep. Umbreon smiled and began nuzzling her. Before lying back down, he looked back over at his trainer. He saw that his face was scrunched up yet again as he knew he was not dreaming about something pleasant.

"Bee. Umbreon, Umbre Umbreon-on Be Umbre Umbreon." _Oh great Ho-oh, please look after our, Wes. He needs your protection more than any of us. _

And with that, Umbreon snuggled in for night, hoping, praying, that some miracle would happen to help his trainer get over his past and be able to live a normal, peaceful life, like he knew he should.


	4. Wanna Swim?

Wes sighed as he lifted Rui's suitcase and put them on the carrier cart, stretching soon afterwards.

"Is this all of your luggage, sir?" the bellhop asked as he put the last of Rui's suitcases on the cart.

"Yes, I believe it is. You can take those into the room now. Here you go," Wes said as he put a twenty dollar bill in the bellhop's breast pocket.

"Thank you, sir," the little man said as he rushed up to his guests' room.

"Oh Wes, isn't this beautiful?" Rui asked as she began gazing around the hotel.

"Should be. It's a five star hotel. Jameson said it's the best one in the region."

Rui slid her herself into Wes' arms and kissed him warmly on the lips.

"Baby, our vacation begins now."

"I thought it began when we got on the plane?"

"It did. Now we get to have some fun," she said as she kissed him again, "What do you say to a little swim?"

"That depends. What kind of swim and where?"

"Regular good ole swimming in our private pool."

Wes thought about it for a minute. He looked down at his best friends.

"Hmm. What do you guys think?"

Umbreon and Espeon shared a glance before giving their trainer a solid nod. Plusle did the same, only she did it several times.

"Then it's settled. We go swimming," Rui said as she gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the check.

"Yeah, but it's late. We just checked in a few hours ago. Can't we go swimming tomorrow afternoon?"

"I just got a better idea. How bout we go skinny dipping in the lake across the hotel?"

Wes arched his left eyebrow. "Now I know you've lost your mind."

"I'm serious. It's dark out. Nobody would see us. And even if they did, it'll be that more fun. We can get caught. That's the great thing about skinny dipping."

"Exactly. We can get caught. I don't want a repeat of what happened when we were in Pyrite."

"We won't get a repeat."

"How do you know? I'm still a little sore about what they did. Plus, it's late. The water would be freezing if we went outside. Not to mention the fact that you are insinuating we go all Commando," Wes said as he folded his arms.

"Okay, okay. No skinny dipping. But I do wanna do something in the water before we go to bed."

Wes smiled as he wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Alright then. How bout we go upstairs to our Jacuzzi. We can keep our bathing suits on, and then settle in for a little snuggling and cuddling later. And then we can both give each other a massage."

"Ooo, me like," Rui said as she gave her boyfriend another kiss on the lips.

"You know, you kiss me every five minutes."

"So, I enjoy kissing you," she said, giving Wes a long sensual kiss for emphasis.

It was a while before he responded.

"I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that you do."

Rui smiled. She removed her arms from around his neck and started for the staircase. "I'll see you upstairs."

* * *

A dark figure stood outside the hotel as he looked inside through the window, staring at the hero how had traveled from Orre and his fiery haired girlfriend. He pulled out his cell phone.

"Hey, boss?...he's here…in the hotel lobby right now. When should we make our move?...yep…pokémon's with him and that aura seeing girl of his…not yet?...okay…I'll alert Snakes and Diggs…yes, I know, you won't have to worry about the empty nest for much longer…yes….I know what to do…"

He closed the phone and stuck it in his pocket, looking at the two people in the lobby once more, before sprinting off towards his battered black motorcycle in the direction from where he once came.


	5. What is Fun?

With the same focus and determination he put into everything he ever did, Wes was going all out to learn a new skill, a skill being conferred upon his by a master. All the tools he would need to master this skill had been arranged for him, put in their proper place in preparation for his lesson. He assumed the correct stance, his poise crucial to his advancement and eventual mastery that would please his new Mistress.

He wanted, no, needed to please his teacher. Until such time as he was ready to be a master himself, he must do exactly what it took to please her. That was all he was about. Well, at least for a few, glorious months.

Then it would be back to real life, back to managing the team, back to fighting off bad guys, back to press conferences and board meetings, back to…

No!

He was failing!

His Mistress would not be pleased.

By an act of sheer will he turned his attention back to the tools he had been provided for his lesson. They were all that mattered. None of those other things existed. Still, he needed to clear his mind, to find his center once more. So, he let his mind drift to the day before. That was permissible, considering what that day had been.

It had been…o-kay…a little nice…for him. Magical for his partner!

He had spent much of the later part of the day kissing Rui. She loved kissing him, almost as much as she loved him! To him, kissing her was so right, so natural…

…she was so good at it!

Rui was good at a lot of things. She was a great dancer, a ferociously good kisser, she was becoming better and better at battling, she kissed like a champion, she was a loving, understanding, caring girlfriend, she kissed really, really well and she was a great partner for him…

…who happened to be an ace of the passionate lip lock!

Plus she was turning out to be pretty good in other areas too!

In fact, she was so good at kissing she had spent the majority of the morning a mere five hours ago kissing him, her eyes closed, enjoying him fully.

Yes, she liked kissing her new boyfriend.

_There! Center found!_

_Ah! Finally! I'm actually marinating! Rui will be so proud!_

With a contented smile on his face, his eyes closed behind his sunglasses, Wes reached for a glass sitting on the small table beside his lounge chair. He brought the salted rim to his lips and took a sip of the sour, cold beverage.

_Must remember to thank the friend who turned me on to_ _Sangria punches._

The slurping sound to his right let him know that his Mistress was also demonstrating her mastery of the skill she was teaching him. He risked a peek at her as she sipped the last of her Margarita. He drank in the sight of her, the dimples that refused to leave her face, her hair dun up in two buns like she always styled it, giving her a permanent girlish look he hoped she would never lose. Her chest would never be any bigger than the B-Cup it currently was, by any stretch of the imagination, but that was just find with him; it had filled out in the last few years so it complemented her slender physique perfectly. How incredible was it that the girl he fell in love with first as a person would become such a beauty? Maybe Rui's trailing him for three whole years was worth it.

_Lesson over!_

Wes got up from his lounge and walked over to Rui. He enveloped her in a hug and gave her a quick peck on her forehead.

Rui arched her eyebrow as she scrutinized her boyfriend, before brushing her lips gently across his, tasting the faint hint of alcohol left by his wine-based punch. His lips parted slightly at her touch, his tongue darting out to trace the edges of her lips.

"A little salty there, don't you think?" He said, breaking the kiss with a smile.

She smiled, retrieving her drink and returned, sitting on the edge of his lounge, taking another sip of her drink. Rui was aware what too many of the concoction of lime juice and tequila would do to her, especially the next morning, but she had been nursing this one for some time, sipping from it occasionally, enjoying the intense mix of flavors instead of the pleasant buzz and mild loss of control it would bring if she drank it faster.

She took another, bigger sip. If there ever was a time and a place to be a little out of control, well, this was it!

Wes must have been thinking the same thing, because he sat back down on his lounge, his hand reaching around her waist, then gliding down her back, finally coming to rest on the narrow triangle of material that made up her bikini bottom. She responded by leaning over to kiss him again after another big sip of her drink, sharing some of it with him through the kiss.

He returned the response when his fingers started kneading, very slightly.

"Happy?" He whispered to her.

"Very," She whispered back.

"Good."

"Sweet."

"Great."

"Yes," she said a little louder.

"If you say 'Yes' any louder I'm going to call your grandfather to have your brain examined."

"Why? What if I get _inspired_ to say it, loudly…_breathlessly_?" She cut off his response by kissing him again, her free hand tracing circles against his bare chest.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Yes…" Rui whispered to him.

"Rui."

"Yes…" she said a bit more louder.

"Rui…"

"Yes…" she said as her voice continued to escalate.

"Rui, there are other people staying at this hotel."

"Yeah, but we have a private room. I can make all the noise I want and nobody would hear me," she said as she took another sip of her drink.

"I think that Margarita is going to your head," Wes said as he put his sunglasses on.

"Oh really?"

"Yep."

A wicked smiled spread across Rui's face. Picking her tequila-based cocktail drink back off the table, Rui examined Wes.

He didn't move so he must have had his eyes closed; often something he did when he was in deep thought. He was laying back against the chair, very relaxed, no tension. His breathing was steady.

Rui's smile widened. This position was perfect.

Slowing getting up, Rui tiptoed a little closer to Wes' face.

Umbreon and Espeon tilted their heads while Plusle gave Rui a confused look as they each stared up at their trainer's mate.

Rui put her finger to her lips as she held the drink high above Wes' face. Rui carefully pulled the sunglasses off of Wes' face. His face was stern, with no clear emotion. His eyes were indeed closed.

Rui's smile couldn't get any wider. She held the cocktail high above Wes' face. She counted down in her head.

_Three, two, one…SPLASH!_

Rui nearly gave away her position when her fits of laughter caused Wes to wrinkle his brow. He was in the process of calling her name and was just about to open his eyes when he felt a cold sticky liquid hit him squarely in his face.

Wes shot up out of his lounge chair, his mouth wide opened. He heard Rui laughing up a storm a few feet away.

"Rui…?…Wha?…What the…"

Rui doubled over in laughter as her sides began to hurt. Umbreon and Espeon just shook their heads while Plusle just crossed her arms and arched her left eyebrow.

Wes began wiping the alcoholic beverage off of his face. His features hardened as the drink trickled down his over his visage. He reached for a towel and began properly wiping the Margarita off of his face since he wasn't doing anything with his hands.

"Oh…oh, my sides," Rui exhaled as she began to sober up. She let out a loud sigh as that smile returned to her face, "Whew, that was hilarious."

He shot her a cold glance as he continued to wipe the sticky liquid off of his face.

"What? Oh don't tell you didn't find that somewhat amusing?"

Wes said nothing.

"Come on, Wes. It was a joke."

"A joke," he said briefly as he threw the stained towel on the sticky chair, "I'm not laughing, Rui."

Rui sucked her teeth.

"Oh God. Wes, why do you always have to be so serious?"

"Rui you just splashed a cold sticky beverage in my face. What was your reason behind that?"

"My _reason_ was to make it a joke. You said the Margarita would go to my head so I splashed it in your face as a playful gesture."

"Getting something cold and sticky splashed in your face is neither funny nor playful."

Rui threw her hands up.

"You know, I can't have any fun with you. You're just too…too…"

"Too what, Rui? I'm tired of playing your game."

"What game?"

"Your 'double-standard' game. Every time you do something it's right in your eyes, and every time I retaliate it's wrong in your eyes. I'm done playing this sexist game of yours."

"Wes, I'm not playing any game. If you threw a drink in my face I wouldn't be blowing up at you like you are me."

"Oh really?"

"Yes really."

Smirking to himself, Wes took his Sangria punch off the table and splashed it in Rui's face, causing Umbreon, Espeon, and Plusle to stare wide-mouth at the display before them.

Rui gave a loud scream.

"Wes, what the hell?"

"See! You just proved my point."

"What point?"

"Everything you do is right and everything I do is wrong because of this double standard thing you have planned. You just said that if I splashed a drink in your face you wouldn't be blowing up at me."

"That's in the moment! It has to be in the moment! God, Wes what is wrong with you!"

Wes pursed his lips. Placing his glass back on the table, he slowly began walking back towards the hotel, Umbreon and Espeon followed him.

"You know, Rui, what may be funny to you may not be funny to someone else. Something you should think about before you come back inside," and with that, Wes stepped inside the hotel, his faithful pokémon behind him, and his angry girlfriend in the wake.

* * *

Rui quietly tiptoed into Wes' room careful not to make a sound. She was mindful not to wear socks this time around after the painful fall she endured from last time she entered his room unannounced. She saw Umbreon and Espeon curled up yet again and assumed they were asleep. Gently, she sat down on the bed.

"Wes?"

Although she couldn't see him, she felt the movement on the bed and knew he was awake. She felt his hand brush against hers, stroking it lightly before it turned on the bedside lamp. She saw that he was wearing a black T-Shirt this time, probably because the hotel's AC was on so high but she still knew he only had his boxers underneath the sheets. She then watched him use his arms to propel himself up as they locked eyes. The anger and frustration that she saw in his golden eyes earlier were gone, replaced with ones that were slightly guilt-written and confused.

"Did I wake you?"

"I wasn't sleeping."

Rui sighed.

"Wes, I'm sorry."

"Rui, you have nothing to be sorry about."

"Yes, I do. I went way too far with the…"

"Rui, please. I'm the one who's sorry. I let my anger get the best of me."

Even in the dimly lit room, Rui could see the shame all over Wes' face.

"You'd think after everything I've been through, I'd learn to control my emotions by now."

"But Wes, I provoked you."

"You were just having a little fun. I got all upset over nothing and now…I dunno I'm beginning to think I'm ruining this vacation for the both of us."

Rui gaped at him.

"Wes, why would say that? Of course you're not ruining this vacation. I mean, it's only just begun. What happened earlier was just a joke taken a little too far and that was my bad, not yours."

Wes decided to take this opportunity to turn over and prop himself up against the headboard. He crossed his arms.

"Tell me something, Rui."

"What is it?"

"Why did you choose me?"

Rui blinked a couple times at her boyfriend's question.

"What?"

"Why did you choose me? I mean, even after you found out that I was a member Team Snagem…"

"_Former_ member of Team Snagem," she corrected.

"…You still stood by me. And then there was the Shadow Togetic incident…why did you still decide to follow me all these years?"

Rui swung her legs on the bed and scooted closer to Wes.

"Well, one reason was that we're a team, Wes. You were the brave reforming fighting trainer and I was the daring aura-seeing girl who was going to help you in your quest to put an end to the Shadow Pokemon saga once and for all."

"Uh-Huh," Wes began rolling his tongue in his mouth.

"Another reason was that I really wanted to put a serious hurting on those Folly and Trudly jerks for putting me in that smelly ole sac and kidnapping me. I got my fair share when we put those dumbbells behind bars."

Wes chuckled, recalling the incident of Mirror B's goons cowering as Rui towered over them, giving them a full-fledged lecture about the importance of self-conduct.

"And another reason is because I loved you, Wes."

There was glimmer in Rui's eyes as she said those words.

"I loved you even then."

"How do you know?"

"Remember what I called you after you defeated those Snagem grunts in Phenac? I called you my gallant prince in shining armor."

Wes chuckled.

"You still do."

"As for the Togetic incident…"

"You were with me the whole entire time. You knew that it wasn't me attacking all those pedestrians."

"Well, that's true. But even if I was at my grandparents' house I still would have believed you if you came over and told me you didn't do it."

"Strangely enough, I believe you," he said with a smile. Rui returned it and gave him a peck on the cheek.

"So, what do you wanna do now, Wes?"

The tan skinned man put his hand to his chin in thought.

"Hm, I don't know. It's not too late that we still can't go out. But it's too cold for the pool."

"I got an idea…"

"No, we are _not_ going skinny dipping."

Rui crossed her arms and slumped.

"Man Wes, you take the fun out of everything."

"I am not gonna give the media something else to talk about."

"That's only if we get caught and I told you that's _part_ of the fun of skinny…"

"No."

Rui slumped down even deeper.

"Fine."

* * *

"This is your idea of fun?"

Rui gasped for air as she trailed her bike behind Wes. Since their "beverage mishap" that morning, the two were completely bored out of their minds of what to do. Rui realized that she was not going to get Wes to take a dip in the water in the nude no matter how late it was. But she still wanted to do something before the day ended. So, Wes decided to take a tour of the region—on bikes. And not just any bikes. The old fashioned heavy looking beach cruiser bikes. The ones that were single speeds and that both tourists and natives alike used to make their way around the region. That was the bike Wes was riding. She was gonna be riding a road bike aka racing bike. The ones designed for speed competitive racing. The ones with drop handle bars and too many gears for her liking. Rui thought she told her fighter boyfriend that exercising was not her forte.

Wes looked over his shoulder towards his tired girlfriend.

"You don't find this relaxing?"

"Are you kidding? I'm having a hard enough time trying to figure out how to operate this monstrosity!"

Wes shook his head.

"It's not that bad, Rui."

"Not that bad? Wes, we're only ten minutes in and I already feel like I'm about to faint."

"See, we've been doing this for ten minutes."

"So?"

"You said you could only do five. You're doing twice as well as you thought you would."

Rui grimaced.

"Wes, the only reason I haven't quit yet is because I've been trying to catch up to you to tell you I wanna quit."

"I haven't left your side."

"Which is why I wanna leave. I mean, why can't we go to the ranch like Umbreon and Espeon?" There was a smidge of disappointment in her voice.

"Umbreon and Espeon deserved to stay at the ranch. They needed to relax."

"Are you saying I don't deserve to relax?"

"Did those words come out of my mouth?"

"That's what it sounds like you're implying."

Wes risked a quick glance back at her before turning his attention back to the road.

"Come on, Rui. I gave you a Mach Bike. Those are the things they use in races. I'm the one who has the heavy stuff. You should be well past me by now."

"What part of '_I am not in shape'_, are you not comprehending?"

"You're gonna be in a heck of alotta pain tomorrow if you're that's badly unfit," he mumbled to himself.

"I heard that!"

Wes smiled.

"Just four more miles and we can stop, Rui."

"You know what, I'm picking our next activity!"

"Fine by me, Rui. Fine by me."

* * *

"You really wanna get wet don't you?"

"More than ever!" Rui said, giving her BF a long kiss on the lips. After what must have been many minutes, they separated. Rui pulled her light purple shirt over her head, revealing a white bikini top under it. Then, she shimmied out of her shorts.

"It may not be _true_ skinny dipping, but let's get wet," She said cheerily, holding her hand out to Wes. He just chuckled lightly. He was already wearing his trunks, so he wasn't able to perform a striptease for her in return. He pulled his black t-shirt over his head and started following her to the pool.

It didn't matter how late it was, Rui was going to get her little dip in the water, even if they weren't skinny dipping.

_At least she'd get what she wants for now._


End file.
